HYDROGEO.&HYDROCHEM.STUDY OF AL-NAJAF QUADRANGLE PLATE(NH-38-2).

Abstract

The area of AL - Najaf Quadrangle is a part of the Southern desert , which represents a wide plateau within the stable shelf of the Arabian platform . The northeastern part of the area Locates within the Mesopotamian Zone of the unstable shelf.

The quaternary deposits form about one quarter of the map area. Pre – quaternary sequence ranges in ages from Paleocene to Pliocene represented by Umm Er –Radhuma , Dammam , Ghar , Euphrates , Fatha , Injana , Zahra and Dibbibba Formation . The western desert is characterized by cold winter with low rainfall and hot and dry Summer.

Dammam Formation represents the main upper aquifer in AL-Najaf Quadrangle. The flow direction of ground water is from the main recharge areas from west and southwest towards Euphrates River at the east , where the Location of discharge zones , represented by spring zone and Mesopotamian plain .

Water quality in Dammam aquifer is mainly sulphatic except some wells are of chloride water especially within spring Zone. Water quality in Mesopotamian plain is chloride water and the Salinity of it is rising towards northeast of the area.

The flow direction of ground water in Mesopotamian plain is from northwest toward Southeast and partly from west to east , east to west and from north to South .

The Salinity of ground water in Dammam aquifer is mainly between [1000 and 5000 mg / L] represents water of Low to medium Salinity . While ground water in Mesopotamian plain is more Saline and the salinity reaches more than [ 50000 mg / L ] .